


August all the time

by ILoveOfficeSupplies



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Pining, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27437914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILoveOfficeSupplies/pseuds/ILoveOfficeSupplies
Summary: If you could be sure of anything it would be that Moomintroll is very fond of Snufkin - the problem is how to tell him.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll & Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Comments: 23
Kudos: 96
Collections: Mybigfavorites





	1. Tonight maybe, tomorrow probably

**Author's Note:**

> Moomin spends the day with Snufkin before he leaves Moomin valley - Not much happens its more about the character interaction.  
> So enjoy it, or don't, do what you like I'm not your mama.

It can't have been any later than 6 in the morning and Moomin was wide awake as he had forgotten to close the curtains the evening before. 

He didn't feel much like reading which is what one usually does in bed when they can't sleep, so he supposed he would have to get up.   
He squinted out the bedroom window which looked out over what was promising to be a very hot day.   
Through the window, past the river and over the bridge he could see Snufkin at his camp, pottering about and moving things around without appearing to achieve very much in the process. No surprise that he was up already.   
He looked to have taken his boots off and was wandering around bare foot in the wet grass of the river bank, sucking on his pipe and kicking dirt into the water.   
Every now and again he would stop to knock the excess ash out against his leg before continuing to mill around the campsite.   
He was terribly interesting that Snufkin. He drifted in and out of wherever, however he pleased doing whatever he felt like and everyone was always happy to see him.   
Moomin felt very lucky to have him around. 

Moomin stood staring out the window watching for quite some time until he was abruptly interrupted by the patter or perhaps more appropriately the stamping of feet of a small little beast named Little My. 

"What are you looking at" She demanded, giving Moomin a start as he turned round quickly to obstruct the window.   
It wasn't nice being caught off guard like that, even if you weren't doing much of anything. Often you feel far more guilty when caught unawares, perhaps even more so when there's nothing to hide. 

"Nothing!" Moomin said furrowing his brow  
"And you shouldn't scare people like that - one day someone might have a heart attack if you keep on"

Little My climbed up onto the windowsill and pressed her little face against the glass, fogging it up so that now neither of the two could see out of it.   
"I should have known you were creeping on Snufkin minding his own business - he'd probably pack up and run off at high speed if he knew what you were up to"

"I'm not creeping! I'm allowed to enjoy the view of Moominvalley out of my own window aren't I?"

"Yeah right... View of Moominvalley. Whatever you say Moomin" Little My said, peeling herself off the window  
"I should have known you were up to no good being awake so early"

Moomin chose not to say anything more, else his mama be terribly disspointed in him. 

"He'll be off if he sees you staring" She continued before stamping over to the door, summoned by the smell of a cooking breakfast which was wafting up the stairs and into Moomintrolls bedroom. 

Creeping indeed - how ridiculous, not being able to look out of one's own bedroom window without being accused of creeping around or having ill intentions.   
It wasn't his fault Snufkin happened to be part of the view. There wasn't all that much else to look at anyway, he'd already seen the woods and the beach and the bathhouse plenty of times before. Snufkin just happened to be of particular interest comparatively if anything.

Moomin waited until he could hear clattering downstairs and Moomin mama's voice, followed by that of Little My. 

Closing the door and leaning his chair against it to ensure his solitude, he returned to the window to resume admiring Snufkin from afar when he noticed that Snufkin was no longer milling and instead had began rolling up his blanket and trying to squish it into his napsack.  
He can't be leaving already, it's only just turned August! Oh he mustn't go, he hadn't had nearly enough time with Snufkin. He still had so much to talk about with him. He was sure he would talk to him about very important things this summer that absolutely must not be put off for another whole year.   
It was all Little My's fault tempting fate by saying horrible things like that. 

Moomin didn't set aside much more time for thinking about it - flinging the window open and rather ungracefully scaling the tile roof before falling down onto the veranda.

Picking himself up he pelted it down the pathway towards the bridge, aiming straight for Snufkin's camp. He hadn't realised just how hot it was until he started running, his fur becoming a very cumbersome heavy blanket as he galloped over the grass towards the bridge. 

"Hullo Moomintroll - a bit out of breath aren't you?" Snufkin said cheerily, watching a sweaty Moomin struggle over the bridge and eventually collapse against a tree. 

"Thank you for stating the obvious" Moomin puffed, looking down at his rotund stomach and trying to catch his breath. 

"What's got you in a hurry?"

"I just wanted to see you before you leave. I saw you packing up your things, I didn't realise you were going so soon and I panicked" Moomin said "I didn't want to miss you"

"Lucky you're here then" Snufkin replied, smiling at him. "Although I'm not leaving Moomin valley for the year just yet, I just wanted to go up to the Loney mountains for a few days - Can't be sleeping on bare rocks can I?"

Moomin breathed what appeared to be a deep sigh of relief between wheezing.   
Oh thank goodness. He was sure this summer was going to be the one, he was feeling particularly confident lately and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.   
And if he didn't do it now he would have to wait until next summer and who knows what would happen between now and then. 

"When are you leaving?" Moomin panted, eventually dragging himself up and over to Snufkin who was crouching down to empty a well worn silverpan full of water onto a very dead looking campfire. 

"Tonight maybe, tomorrow probably" Snufkin said, standing back up pan in hand.   
"An adventure is no fun when you have to be here and there at a certain time and not a minute later"

Moomin stood watching him as he gathered his bait bucket and set it down beside the pan and napsack. It seemed very strange to Moomin for an entire home to fit into such a small bag. 

"Can I help you pack Snufkin?" asked Moomin. He didn't really want to help pack at all, and would have much preferred unpacking, but he wanted to be helpful. 

"I've packed enough right now" Snufkin said "I think what I'd like to do is sit with a Moomintroll and enjoy the rest of the morning"

  
-

  
Snufkin had yet to take his tent down and by now it was mid afternoon. The day had only got hotter the longer it went on, the air becoming drier and drier until your lungs would surely be steamed from breathing. 

The pair of them were sat on the footbridge with their legs hanging over the edge, however only Snufkins paws were able to reach the water.

"I'm surprised the river hasn't dried up in this weather" Moomin said jovually, watching little scuttle bugs and pond skaters get carried off in the current.

"It has somewhere to be I would suppose" responded Snufkin, filling the bowl of his pipe with the loose tobacco from his coat pocket. 

Moomin looked over at him as he lit the pipe, cauciously holding a paw over the end as to not put it out before it had a chance to burn. 

"Why don't you take your coat off? You must be very hot under all that" asked Moomin hopefully. It wasn't creeping if Snufkin's actions were voluntary. 

"I wouldn't want it to feel lonely without me in it" Snufkin said, looking down to roll his sleeves up and lift up the hem of his coat so it sat around his middle as a compromise. 

Why would Snufkin choose to keep such a big coat on in such sweltering weather, he'd surely bake like a foiled potato if he wasn't careful.   
Moomin could see beads of sweat rolling down the side of Snufkin's face under the wide brim of his hat. His eyes followed them beginning from Snufkin's temple to the curve of his chin before finally dripping down into the collar of his coat.   
Moomin could feel himself getting warm in the face as he stared at Snufkins damp skin under the shade of his hat. 

"Why do you want to go to the Lonely Mountains Snufkin? Don't you like staying here this summer?" asked Moomin breaking the silence to provide him a distraction from his own thoughts which were very loud when it was quiet and nobody was speaking. 

"Of course, but it's always important to have time alone, even if it's just little bits and pieces.   
It's important to learn to enjoy your own company moomintroll"

Snufkin had rolled his trousers up to expose his legs from the knee down.   
"The only person you can really count on is yourself, so it's best to get along"   
That sounded more depressing than motivational. Moomin had lots of people he could rely on, at least he thought so anyway. 

Moomin made some sort of sound in response but nothing more, and the two sat in comfortable silence listening to the sounds of Moomin valley.   
Dispite the heat it was a very beautiful day, the sky was a stark blue without a wisp of cloud in sight and Mamas roses were in full bloom, their big red faces visible from all the way down at the bridge.   
Out over the flowering ridge and past the well he could see something resembling a hemulen hunched over rustling about in the long grass.   
Moomin wondered if Snorkmaiden was going to appear at some point, she loves pleasant weather and there were so many flowers to lie in - Moomin had thought about visiting her today but by now it must be almost 3, and it would be considered rude to drop in so late. At least that was the excuse he had settled on. He may as well enjoy where he was. 

Snufkin, finally relented to the weather, eventually removed his hat from ontop of his head and placed it down on his right hand side while Moomin sat on the other.   
Moomin watched him push back the hair that covered his forehead and wipe the sweat off with his paw only to then wipe it on his trousers. If he wasn't so charming such things would probably be quite disgusting, but Moomin was perhaps a little selfishly enjoying watching Snufkin sucome to the heat - He was so very nice to look at, and with items of clothing being removed Moomin was able to see a lot more of him. 

"May I ask why you're staring Moomintroll? " asked Snufkin without looking over to his friend who had become quite flustered with the question and began fidgeting around and started peeling off the old paint on the footbridge with his furry paws. 

"I wasn't staring! I was uh... just.. looking" He honestly couldn't think of anything more clever to say in response. Oh dear, Moomin wasn't ready to be rumbled yet - He hadn't prepared what he would say or how he would say it. He wasn't going to say he wasn't looking at all, that of course would be deciptful and Snufkin wasn't stupid.   
Oh no, maybe Little My was right and Moomin was creeping on poor Snufkin. He couldn't imagine what Snufkin would think of him if he knew that. 

"I don't mind you staring, but you shouldn't look so long if you didn't want people to notice" Snufkin continued, turning to look at Moomin who was now feverishly picking off the paint and avoiding any eye contact, instead choosing to focus on a line of ants that were crawling onto the underside of the footbridge. Moomin daren't look over even though he could feel Snufkin's lovely eyes on him which in any other situation would be something to be enjoyed. 

"You're a funny creature, Moomintroll" Snufkin said finally, after acknowledging Moomin wasn't going to say anything back without prompting.   
He moved to stand up, his pipeless paw brushing against the soft fur of Moomin's leg as he moved, igniting a wave of nervous excitement in Moomin. 

Dusting off his coat, Snufkin turned to wander back over to the campsite, leaving a trail of wet paw prints on the wood panels of the bridge. 

Moomin chose to stay sitting at the bridge watching the water. The ants had made it to the other side of the bridge now where they dissapeared off into the grass. 

He could hear the sound of Snufkin's paws pattering back to the bridge and stopping abruptly above him. 

Moomin looked up to meet Snufkin's eyes as he stood over him with the bait bucket in one hand and his fishing pole in the other.   
Holding them up Snufkin said excitedly 

"Fishing!" 

  
-

  
"Did you want something to eat Moomintroll?"

Moomin opened one eye slowly - He was feeling very relaxed, the days sun had warmed his fur ear to tail and he was weak from sleep. 

"What?" Moomin replied groggily, lifting his head. How long had he been asleep for? When did he fall asleep? 

Snufkin only pointed his pipe stem towards the silver pan in response which was sat on a lively little fire. 

It was starting to get dark, a welcome presence in the unrelenting heat. The sun had melted onto the horizon and small stars had started burning in the distance as the night rolled in. 

"Oh.. Yes please" replied Moomin quietly, remaining curled up on the bridge watching Snufkin for a few more minutes before finally getting up and wandering over. 

There was nothing in the pan but water, bubbling and spitting ontop of the fire. Moomin sat down next to it watching as Snufkin wandered back to his tent in search of dinner. 

As he approached it he could hear a faint rustling, most likely some naughty animals had got in which was not uncommon nor did he mind too much as long as they didn't bother him. However as he reached for the canvas he could distinctly see two little black boots which were unmistakable. 

"Didn't you know its rude to sneak into people's tents" Snufkin said pulling the tent cover back revealing Little My who had got her way into the bag of beans he had left in there with every intention of cooking. 

"It's a right sweat box in here" She said beetle crawling out of the tent and along the ground before finally resting next to the fire. 

"Well nobody asked you to go in there, infact nobody invited you here at all!" Moomin said irritably. He'd had just about enough of her for one day he didn't need her coming to spoil his last evening with Snufkin too. 

"Well of course I wouldn't have gotten an invite from you, you just want Snufkin all to yourself - Typical Moomintroll"

"Little My!!" Moomin had grown indignant at this point and had turned several shades of red under all that white fur. 

"I only came down here to reassure your mama that you were alive and well since your bedroom seems to be blockaded"

"Oh dear.." Moomin remembered the chair - He had forgotten to remove it, poor mama had probably thought something had happened to him. 

Snufkin only laughed as he took the remainder of the beans Little My hadn't eaten and poured them into the pan. 

"Pay her no mind Moomin - little beasts like that should be left well alone"

"I'm no beast you can't talk to me like that!" Little My replied immediately stamping her boots on the ground kicking up tiny puffs of dust as she went.   
"You'll have to give me some more of those beans by way of an apology"

"Of course Little My" Snufkin very much enjoyed winding up Little My but tonight he wasn't in a hurry.

-

By the time the beans were ready the sun had dissapeared completely leaving only the light of the fire illuminating the half vacated camp. 

Little My was sat on the floor pulling up the grass and throwing it into the fire, watching it curl up and turn black. 

Snufkin was lying back against a log with his pipe and blowing smoke up into the night air while Moomin sat beside him. 

"Not all things in life need to have meaning to be meaningful moomin" Snufkin continued "Not all thoughts need to be thoughtful either - I'm enjoy mine very much and I can't say they mean much of anything" 

"I suppose you're right Snufkin - I can't imagine I'll ever know as much as you"

"Beans are burnt" interrupted Little My while continuing to shovel them into her mouth. 

"They can't be that bad, you've eaten more than I have! " Moomin said frowning and looking at her over the fire. 

Snufkin chose not to reply to either of them, and instead reached his paw out to gently touch Moomins, only very gently, perhaps so gently Moomin wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't have seen it.

Moomin unconciously froze.   
Snufkin didn't turn to look at him in any way to acknowledge what he was doing, perhaps because he was very sure of it in which case why would he need the approval.   
With a belly full of burnt beans and Snufkin's paw on his Moomin within this moment completely blissful.   
The interaction was only fleeting however as Snufkin returned his paw to his pocket to retrieve his mouth organ and perhaps to avoid any observation from Little My, but nevertheless it was euphoric all the same to Moomin and by no means accidental. Moomin didn't move his paw away, instead hopefully leaving it where it was in case Snufkin decided he wanted to touch it again. However Snufkin never did. 

"Well ladies and gentlemen, if you want a song to send you sweet dreams here it is" Snufkin announced waving the instrument above his head before bringing it back down and beginning to play. 

The three of them sat around the fire looking up into the night sky as the smoke billowed out over the trees towards the sea carried by Snufkin's music which he continued for quite some time until they all felt sleepy. 

Moomins desperation was bubbling over to call Snufkin's attention to his half hearted hand holding attempt but with Little My mere metres away with a mouth so big she could swallow an orange without blinking, he thought it best not to.   
When Snufkin returns from the Lonely Mountains, thought Moomin, I'll tell him - just a few days until I tell him. 


	2. Rummy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snufkin returns from travels much to everyone's pleasure and so to celebrate they spend the day together doing a whole lot of nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this cause I had it ready so if you liked the other one you'll probably like this I guess. What else you gonna do on a Saturday night.

Moomin valley was still roasting like a hot plate when Snufkin returned from the Lonely Mountains.Moominpappa had threatened to shave his fur off if the weather continued, to which Little My had too eagerly offered to help with.

Moomin was sat on the veranda with his mama, pappa, Little My and Sniff playing rummy when he heard Snufkin return. True to his word he was only gone for 4 days, but Moomin had not stopped thinking about that night he last saw him, causing the 4 days to stretch into what felt like 4 weeks.

Even without Snufkin's music the green peak of his hat approaching in the distance was unmistakable.

Rather than stop at the bridge, Snufkin continued along the ribbon of path up to Moomin house where he was enthusiastically greeted by the hoard that were waiting.

"Oh Snufkin it's so nice to see you" Moominmama said greeting him with a smile as he ascended up the steps and up onto the veranda. "Please" she said holding out a large glass of raspberry juice which Snufkin took without any protest and parked himself on the railing of the veranda.

Abandoning the game of rummy Moomin perched himself beside Snufkin, so both were sat like a small audience behind a very frustrated Moominpappa.

"Good to see you've all survived another day of this weather" Snufkin remarked "Perhaps I should be grateful I'm not as furry as all of you"

The game of rummy had taken a turn since Snufkin's appearence, as Little My somehow had two runs on the go while Moominpappas cards were all over the place. He reached over to draw another only for it be the instruction frontcard someone had forgotten to remove before shuffling.

Throwing his arms in the air in defiance and shaking the table as he stood straight up his chair declaring "Take my place Snufkin, i've had it with this wretched game"

-

Snufkin, Moomin and Sniff were sat out in the field, adequately fed and watered by Moominmama earlier in the day. They had formed a circle in the long grass where they stretched out with every intention to be lazy.

Snufkin's hat was positioned in front of Moomin while he decorated the brim with wild flowers. Snufkin lay to the side with Sniff, his eyes closed and his arm resting on his forehead.

"Where's Little My?" asked Sniff. He was sure she had come with them, although it wouldn't have been hard for her to get lost in all that grass.

Snufkin reached over and lifted his hat to reveal Little My who was curled up in a bed of grass underneath. For such a little beast she did look very sweet.

After the three of them had had a good look Snufkin returned the hat and lay back down. "Best not to disturb her I think" he said, closing his eyes again.

"What did you see in the Lonely Mountains Snufkin?" asked Moomin, fiddling with two ends of a harebell.

"Oh lots of things. Sky fires and fruit trees as tall as your house and naughty little monsters that unpeg your tent poles at night" he responded.

"There are lots of diamonds there too you know Sniff" Snufkin continued, turning to him knowing full well it would pique his interest "Lots of funny creatures wandering around wearing them"

"Did they give you any?" Sniffs eyes widened in anticipation.

"They did!" Sniff was practically salivating at the thought "I gave them to a very pretty little mymble for her coffee canteen since I ended up using mine to hold fishing bait" Snufkin said, proudly pulling out a very old and used canteen.

Sniffs dissapointment was immeasurable

"You traded a real diamond for that??"

"You can't drink coffee from a diamond my dear Sniff" replied Snufkin putting his canteen back into his napsack.

"You could have bought 100 brand new canteens for that! " Sniff cried.

"And what use would 100 canteens be to me?" Snufkin replied making no attempt to hide his annoyance. "Unless I had 100 sons and daughters"

"What a clever person would do would be to use them to hold all the coffee you'd be selling and.." Sniff carried on but by then Snufkin was no longer listening, allowing the others to gas on about coffee canteens while he lit his pipe and tentatively bit down on the end. Sniff really did talk a lot of rot sometimes. 

-

Although the sun remained hot a welcome breeze had come into the valley from the sea bringing with it a faint smell of seaweed.

Sniff being the tallest of the three could see over the whistling grass and over to moomin house where Mama had begun setting up the veranda table with all sorts of exciting things which eminated delicious smells out into the valley.

Without much explination besides excited noises, Sniff was up and off over to the veranda to gorge himself while Moomin and Snufkin and Little My (who remained asleep under the hat) stayed seated.

"Don't you want to eat, Snufkin?" Moomin asked as he finished decorating Snufkin's hat.

"Yes, but I want to enjoy the sun for a few more moments and I'm not ready to wake Little My just yet" Moomin enjoyed imagining that really he just wanted to spend more time with him, which was very possibly true but Moomin didn't think to ask.

The pair of them sat together looking out over the valley towards the beach and the water which rocked the boats by the bathhouse. They often sat together in a similar manner when Snufkin returned for the summer, enjoying each others company in comfortable silence. Because of this they were well versed in each others silent signals which they very much enjoyed using when in bad company.

Moomin had noticed Snufkin had been fiddling with his coat for a good few minutes trying to undo the buttons from the back. It seemed awfully silly to have a coat that buttoned at the back, but he'd have thought Snufkin would know how to get out of it considering he had worn it every day for the past however many years. Moomin was surprised that he wanted to take it off considering he'd allowed himself to bake himself red in it the last time he saw him.

"I could help you if you like Snufkin" Moomin said boldly. He had no idea where this sudden burst of confident bravado had come from. He might have gotten the wrong idea and Snufkin might say no. Snufkin might figure out what Moomin was up to and be so disgusted he'd never come back to Moominvalley ever again. Perhaps he had heat stroke and was going loopy.

"If you didn't mind" Snufkin said rather nonchantely, turning around and leaning forward ever so slightly as to present the line of brass buttons which ran down the back of his coat.

Moomins paws were trembling as he nervously took ahold of each small button and pushed it through the button hole, releasing one half of Snufkin's coat from the other. Moomin could see the back of Snufkin's neck and the way his hair tapered off into a messy little point straight down the middle. He had more fur down the back of his neck than he imagined, although still considerably less than himself.

Moomins paws brushed against the small of his back as he was undoing the final few buttons at the bottom, causing moomin to flush with excited embaressment. For such a mundane and relatively innocent task, it felt awfully intimate for Snufkin to allow Moomin to undress him like this.

Moomin paused at the last button to look up the length of Snufkin's back to the back of his fluffy hair. He could smell the warm scent of freshly turned earth and pipe smoke which eminated from Snufkin's person like a lovely warm cuddle.

"Sorry" Moomin said quietly when his paw touched Snufkin's back as he released the final button.

"What?" Snufkin said.

"Nothing - I've finished" Moomin said quickly moving back as Snufkin dropped his shoulders and let the coat slide off into a pile on his lap.

Underneath the coat Snufkin wore a loose shirt strapped on by a pair of old red braces connected to his waist band which he ran his thumbs under to straighten his shirt before stretching his arms up until he heard the click of his shoulders. Even from the back, Snufkin looked so lovely and comfortable that Moomin might reach his paws up and embrace him.

Riding on the success of his previous offer, Moomin decided now would be the time to ask Snufkin about their last interaction while Little My was safely contained underneath his hat.

However, as Moomin was about to open his mouth Snufkin interrupted.

"It's really good to see you Moomin" Snufkin said before leaning over, almost close enough that his nose might touch Moomins fur to say gently "I was looking forward to it"

Moomin feeling very hot in the face all of a sudden pulled back reflexively to see Snufkin tip his head towards the hat with a smile - Oh right, Moomin had forgotten about little My.

Moomin was flooded with conflicting emotions - Did Snufkin mean that in a more than friendly way or did he just not want Little My to hear to avoid any bother. Or maybe it was both? Or maybe it really was heat stroke, he'd heard of people going mad and hallucinating from it before.

"Snufk-" he began to say, however before he could suck the air in to finish speaking, as if called by the devil himself a voice came from the hat.

"Can't you two pipe down, I can hear everything you're saying"

"Perhaps we might pipe up Little My" Snufkin replied, lifting the hat and peering at her.

Crawling out, Little My gave Moomin some sort of a look. "I bet you'd like me to leave, after all what's the point in whispering secrets if people can hear you" she was staring straight at him.

Moomin knew Little My knew how he felt about Snufkin - Neither had spoken about it in any significant way and to be fair to her, apart from the constant teasing and goading she had not outwardly said anything to Snufkin, which Moomin was very appritiative of. For her faults Little My was surprisingly understanding.

"What good timing Little My, I was just thinking about my hat" Snufkin said picking it up and sitting it happily on top of his head "and you've even warmed it up for me, what a good egg you are"

Snufkin looked down at Little My "Jump in my pocket and I'll take you back if you like?"

Little My said nothing but climbed into Snufkin's pocket amongst the bits of tobacco and skipping stones and strings for mending things - It wasn't comfortable but it was a free ride.

And with that all three of them headed off back to Moomin house to join the others.

-

Sniff was wasting no time in decimating the food Moominmama had set out for everyone. Snufkin, Moomin and Little My had returned and sat themselves around the table. The pack of cards left there previously had mysteriously dissapeared and Moominpapa was hiding himself behind a newspaper.

Moominmama looked at Moomin across the table as he was handing Snufkin a napkin which ended up not being touched with Snufkin preferring to use the tails if his shirt. She knew her son very well, far better than he knew himself. She knew why Moomin looked only at Snufkin when they were in company, and why he would sneak off early doors just to sit down by the river. Yes, she knew her son very well and she knew Snufkin was very lucky to have him.

Standing up, Moominmama held her glass and said "A toast to our Snufkin - for all your travels and for all your summers you spend with us"

And with that they lifted their glasses to ring in the evening and to welcome their dear friend back to the valley. 


	3. A Good Pioneer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snufkin and Moomin go sneaking around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lockdown 2.0 I was bored here you go lads

Twice Moomin had tried to speak to Snufkin about certain things, certain important things, and twice he had failed. 

Maybe it wasn't a very good idea after all and if Snufkin did like Moomin in any sort of way that Moomin liked him, Snufkin would have said something - Although with Snufkin it was hard to tell what was going on.   
What was worse was Moomin had gone down to Snufkin's camp that morning only to find that he had gone again, taking everything with him without saying goodbye which had put him in a sour mood for the rest of the day. 

Moomin was sat out on the veranda with his mama watching the sun sink westwards into a big pink smear.   
Mama, as she always did, had set out all sorts off delicious things on the table however Moomin touched none of them. 

"Oh Moomin" Mama said stroking the fur of his back reassuringly.   
"It's just his nature - your pappa will tell you his father was much the same. He will come back when he's ready" 

Moomin already knew that, but it didn't make him any happier. 

"Rascals the both of them, they wouldn't stick around if you nailed them down" Moominpappa said leaning back in his chair to accommodate his rotund stomach which had been stuffed with cakes mere minutes earlier. 

Moominmama turned to give him the sternest of looks before Moomin spoke. 

"It doesn't seem very fair to me" He muttered into his paw.  
He hadn't even say goodbye, he'd just up and left. Maybe next time he sees him Moomin won't say goodbye, and they'd see how Snufkin would like that.

Mama had wanted Moomin to speak to her about Snufkin for a very long time, although perhaps not in the manner this conversation was going. She would have gently encouraged more out of him but Moomin didn't seem very up for talking and Moominpappa was being a hindrance more than a help. 

"Cheer up Moomin" Pappa said "He'll be back. Enjoy the time you have yourself while you can - and your mamas cooking" 

  
-

  
Moomin was lying on his bed staring up at the wood of the ceiling feeling miserable when he heard a faint whistling from outside his window. 

Peering out onto what had turned out to be quite a spectacular sunset, Moomin cast his eyes down to see a very familiar face who was looking very excited. 

"Hullo Moomintroll!" Snufkin said in the loudest whisper Moomin had ever heard. 

"SNUF- Snufkin" Moomin made a valient effort to hide his enthusiam, however his anamosity towards Snufkin's departure quickly dissipated as soon as he saw Snufkin standing down there in his green hat which still had on it the dried remains of wild flowers.   
Fickle creatures, Moomintrolls. 

Beyond Snufkin and over the bridge he could see a newly repitched tent - How had he gotten away with building that so quickly, it had seemingly manifested out of nowhere. Snufkin was full of surprises. 

"I've got something to show you"   
Moomin stared down at him fondly in the pink ambient glow looking far more lovely than he had any right to be. 

It didn't take much to entice Moomin down to him as Moomin squeezed himself out the window and closed it, noticing briefly that the latch had clicked in but only just. He'd deal with the window later he thought, Mama and Pappa were still awake, he could just go in the front entrance if needs be. 

Sliding down the rope ladder and joining Snufkin on the grass, the two of them made their way over the bridge, and off into the woods. 

-

  
They walked for quite a way, long enough for it to have gotten very dark.   
Moomin thought to give Snufkin a hard time about leaving but he was just far too forgiving and Snufkin was far too lovely. 

  
Snufkin began to slow the pace as they entered a clearing of sorts through the trees. The floor was a blanket of dry brown pine needles that gave way as they walked across it before the leaflitter gave way completely into a big shallow round hole as long as it was wide. A circle if you will. 

"Can you see it Moomintroll?" Snufkin said, pointing into the darkness.   
Moomin could see a whole lot of nothing. 

"I can't see anything" Moomin said unamused.   
"I don't have night eyes" 

"You don't need special eyes to see this" Snufkin whispered swatting around in the dark for Moomins paw before finally finding it and holding on tightly. 

Moomin had very much been looking forward to something like this happening again and this time he didn't have to do anything for it. As his mama said patience reaped reward and this was absolute heaven.   
Moomin wouldn't have minded if they saw nothing at all, the feeling of Snufkin's paw on his was good enough. 

Snufkin aggressively tugging on his paw drug him out of his fog of ecstacy and into some sharp bushes as they descended into the hole, getting covered in horrible little needles and bracken. 

As they reached the deepest part, Moomin could see little blue puffs like shiny beads floating about in some very small trees the grew in the centre. 

"What is that?" asked Moomin with genuine interest. 

"I don't know - pretty though aren't they?" Snufkin whispered back. 

And indeed they were, whatever they were. 

".. I saw them when I was coming back to pitch the tent and I thought you'd like to see them" 

"I hope they don't mind us looking at them" said Moomin cautiously. 

They continued to slink around the perimeter to get a closer look before they heard the sound of a pair of wide flat feet stamping around behind them. 

"What on earth are you two up to?"   
Snufkin and Moomin both stopped mid slink.   
A better question would have been what was the Inspector doing around here - Everyone knows criminals pack up to bed around this time. 

"Being sneaky" Snufkin finally replied in complete ernest, pulling his hat down to his eyes.   
What was the Inspector going to do? They'd already seen whatever it was that was down there and as far as they were aware looking wasn't illegal (not that that would have stopped Snufkin of course). 

"Trying to be more like, the pair of you look ridiculous - Be off with you before I come down there" 

Not bothering with the fuss, Snufkin and Moomin trekked back up and out and were off in the opposite direction to the Inspector who by now was having a look of his own down into the hole. 

Moomin looked back, the little sparkly things had dissapeared now, leaving only the Inspector cautiously trying to climb down towards the little trees in the middle. 

"Little does he know we've already seen what's down there - He can't keep my eyes from looking" Snufkin said proudly.   
Although Moomin couldn't see Snufkin's face very well in the dark he could feel him smiling with the thrill of disobedience. 

"Do you think they'll be back Snufkin?" Moomin asked. 

"Whos to say - Perhaps we will be the only ones to ever see them. Or maybe they'll cover the whole forest so you can't move for them. Either way I'm pleased I could show you first" 

  
-

  
As they returned to Moomin valley they could see Moomin house which looked very dark and very quiet with the only light coming from Moomin's bedroom. 

"Mama and Pappa must have gone to bed already" said Moomin as they walked up to the house. 

Moomin ascended the rope ladder as Snufkin waved at him. 

"Goodbye Moomintroll"

Goodbye indeed, though Moomin. If only Snufkin knew the irony of such a statement coming out of his mouth. 

Snufkin stood and watched him as he climbed up. From what he could hear there was a lot of rattling going on up there. 

"It's stuck" hissed Moomin, trying to wrangle the window open with little success. 

Snufkin continued to stand at the bottom of the ladder looking up watching Moomin struggle with great amusement. 

"Try turning the handle right ways" he called up. 

"You mean this way?" Moomin tried to turn the latch to the right, what else would right ways be? 

"No no Moomintroll, my right ways - that way" Snufkin said pointing vaugley and most unhelpfully.   
What did right ways mean if not right? What on earth was Snufkin on about. He'd obviously been around those blue things for too long. 

"It's definitely stuck" said Moomin dedjectetly.

He peered through the window at his nice comfy bed that waited for him, newly fluffed pillows and all. Mama had probably left a hot water bottle under the sheets too. 

He began to descend the ladder back down to a very amused Snufkin who stood waiting for him. 

"It's not funny Snufkin" 

"I wasn't laughing my dear Moomintroll"   
He may not be now but Moomin could tell he wanted to. 

"It's OK Moomintroll, you can stay with me in the tent if you want" 

Moomin stopped. Staying with Snufkin in his tent..  
It sounded like the most excitingly uncomfortable experience. No fluffy pillows, hot water bottles, clean feather duvets - it was probably just a blanket on the floor that was definately not clean. It sounded amazing. 

Not once had it crossed Moomins mind that he could have tried entering the house through the front door as he followed Snufkin back down the path. 

-

  
Reaching the campsite and eventually the tent, Snufkin pulled back the canvas 'door'. 

"I'd show you around but its mighty dark in there" Snufkin said, letting go of the canvas and reaching into his pocket. 

"You're welcome to go in and sleep now Moomintroll - I'll be back" and with that Snufkin wandered off in the direction of the bridge, off to smoke most likely. 

Moomins assumptions regarding Snufkin's tent had been wrong, there were two unclean blankets. 

Moomin was unsure of what to do with himself. What was considered polite and correct in someone's tent? Especially a tent that belonged to a lovely thing like Snufkin.   
He tentatively sat at the very corner of one of the blankets on the floor.   
Like Snufkin, the tent smelled like earth and tobacco smoke although as the cool air drifted in as the night drew on it wasn't the same as the warm smell from Snufkin himself. 

Moomin lay down, pressing his snout against the blanket that he imagined had been wrapped around a Snufkin many a time. He closed his eyes, just to enjoy the smell in its most pure form, uninterrupted by anything else. 

As Moomin lay there, he heard Snufkin return, approaching the tent before eventually poking his head in. 

"Are you alright Moomintroll?" he whispered stepping in as quietly as possible so as not to wake him should he be asleep. 

"Yes" Moomin responded. 

Moomin lay still as Snufkin shifted about doing something or other - Moomin couldn't tell as he couldn't see him.

In some ways it was a little unsettling to Moomin that he couldn't see an inch in front of his face but Snufkin could see everything, including him lying there. 

"Every good pioneer knows that the best way to keep warm when camping is to stay close to each other if you're in good company" Snufkin said shuffling around in the dark before settling beside Moomin on the blanket. 

Although he suspected Snufkin intended it with complete innocence Moomin's little heart was racing. Unluckily for Moomin, while anyone else wouldn't have been able to see his embaressment in the dark, Snufkin could. 

"What if you're in bad company?" Moomin managed to respond - He felt as though he were on the verge of a heart attack. 

"Throw them on the fire" Snufkin said laughing to himself. "I'm teasing of course" 

Moomin felt something move to his left hand side and a paw reached over and rest on his stomach, before a weight pushed into the side of him.   
Snufkin had pressed his face into Moomins shoulder, his bare skin touching Moomin's fur so close Moomin could place a kiss on the top of his head if he wanted to. Because he definitely wanted to. But he didn't. 

Poor unsuspecting Snufkin, he didn't have a clue how nervous Moomin was.   
Moomin's paws were sweating and clammy and now was perhaps the only time Moomin was hoping Snufkin wouldn't try and hold them.   
This was however the single most thrilling experience of Moomins life, much better than the paw holding earlier which he didn't think possible. 

For Snufkin, he hadn't used a proper pillow in a very long time so Moomins prescence was very much welcome. It was soft, it was comfortable, it was Moomintroll. 

"I'd play you some music but I don't feel much like moving" Snufkin said wearily.   
From what Moomin could hear he sounded very tired which was not something he'd seen often in Snufkin. Maybe his eyes were tired from looking at things they shouldn't. 

The more Moomin tried to control his nervous breathing it louder it sounded.

"Snufkin" Moomin whispered nervously.   
He heard nothing. 

"Snufkin" he repeated himself but louder.   
Still, he heard nothing. 

Moomin couldn't really roll over for fear of crushing him, so he would just have to accept Snufkin was probably already asleep, or dead. 

In the darkness Moomin could hear a reassuring, slow rhythmic breathing coming from his left hand side where Snufkin was.   
He could feel his warm breathing on his fur which gave him much the same feeling as one gets when someone gently runs a finger down your back.   
Moomin had never been this close to Snufkin for this long before. It was pretty unbelievable that he was in this situation to begin with. 

He didn't want to sleep, he wanted to feel the weight of Snufkin on him forever. He wanted to reach over to stroke Snufkin's fur but he dared not. He just lay there struggling to stay awake so that he might enjoy this moment for as long as possible. 

Oh Snufkin, Moomin whispered very quietly, there will never be anyone as special as you.   
Maybe he'd just close his eyes for a moment, he could always open them again if he wanted to.   
Yes, he'd just open them if he needed to, in a few moments. 


	4. Blackmail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moomintroll gets very disappointed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Americans who read this watch GBBO, its wholesome content for the soul.  
> Peter for GBBO King 2020

Moomin had managed to make a swift and early exit from Snufkin's tent that morning due in part to the anxiety over overstaying his welcome but also because Snufkin was already up, out and off somewhere by the time he woke up. 

All Moomin had to do was walk a few hundred metres to get back to the house before any little spies saw him.   
He began walking before deciding that perhaps jogging would be better just incase. 

By the time Moomin had got to the veranda he had sprinted the final stretch and was desperately trying to catch his breath as he cautiously opened the front door. 

The front room was empty, with the exception of a full untouched breakfast table. 

Oh thank goodness, only Mamma must be up he thought, placing himself at the table and allowing the wave of relief to wash over him. What a clever little sneak he was. 

It was only a few moments later that Little My descended the stairs and sat down at the table across from Moomin.   
Pappa had yet to appear and Mama had not returned from wherever she'd dissapeared off to, leaving the two of them alone.

Seizing the opportunity, Little My stood up from her chair and leaned over the table to intrude on Moomin's breakfast. 

"I know where you stayed last night"

Moomin stared at her. Of course she did, she couldn't leave his private business alone for more than five minutes if it killed her. Couldn't she just leave him to be shifty in peace. 

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Moomin, moving a large glass of juice in front of him to obstruct Little My from view. 

"Yes you do, I saw you" 

"You shouldn't tell lies Little My" He replied, moving the coffee pot to join the juice to form a patrician of sorts between them. 

"You're right Moomin, you shouldn't"   
She continued to stare him down over the great wall of crockery. 

He was starting to feel ill having Little My stare at him so unashamedly.   
It was a battle of wills but after several minutes the unrelenting atmosphere was getting too much for him.   
Moomin was very foolish to think any breakfast barricade would stop her. 

Moomin peered behind him to ensure there were no unwanted ears listening before replying  
"Oh little My please don't say anything to Snufkin. Please"

Little my folded her arms. Moomin was expected to beg. 

"Please Little My!" 

"I'm not going to do anything" She laughed, sinking back down into her seat "But just so you know I've got my eyes on you - both eyes" 

That was a strange combination of reassuring and threatening and Moomin didn't know how to feel about it.   
If this was Little My's idea of encouraging Moomin to help himself it wasn't a very nice way of going about it, however for the time being he'd accept the blackmail over the humiliation. 

  
As if summoned by the scent of tension, Moominpappa came wandering down the stairs and into the front room. 

"Oh coffee! Say thanks to your Mama Moomin" Moominpappa said removing the cafetiere from between Moomin and My allowing their eyes to meet once again, before sitting himself down.   
Moomin and Little My said nothing more and Pappa didn't care for why as he was being blessed with a rare moment of silence. 

"Oh look who it is" said Little My staring out through the window causing Moomin and his pappa to take a gander for themselves. 

A tiny green triangle followed by a browner, rounder, fatter shape were approaching Moomin house from across the grass, getting bigger and bigger until they were right there in the front garden. 

Opening the door and hanging on the white wooden doorframe so that his head was out but his big round body was in, Pappa said  
"Oh you two come in, Moomin and Little My are having breakfast I'm sure they'd love to see you" 

-

  
The four of them (that is Moomin, Little My, Snufkin and Sniff) walked along the beach in no particular direction and with nowhere particular to be. 

"Oh thank you Little My, I've always wanted one of these" Snufkin said pulling off a peice of stickyweed she had stuck to his arm some time before. He threw it in the direction of Moomin where it narrowly missed and landed on the sand next to him. 

"Where are we going?" Sniff asked. 

"Is enjoying the ocean air not enough?" said Snufkin.   
"Why must you always know where we're going"   
He reached into his pocket to retrieve his pipe, he felt he was going to need it. 

"What if where we end up is boring" 

"Nature can never be boring Sniff, even small little beasts like you" Snufkin replied, scratching the strike card with the head of a match before lighting the bowl of his pipe. 

"We could go to Lovers walk" Little My piped up staring over at Moomin, with both eyes mind you. 

That little pest - Moomin could do nothing but remain silent as protesting would just rouse suspicion and Moomin had a suspicion of his own that Little My knew this.   
Moomin didn't look back her, choosing instead to look at the nice friendly water minding its own business lapping up and down the beach. 

"Or Cupid's Nook" Little My continued. 

"Or Slutshole" Sniff joined in excitedly. 

Everyone turned to look at him with mild disgust.

"We're playing the funny name game right?" Nobody said anything. What does one say to that? 

Snufkin had a feeling Sniff didn't know what he was talking about thank goodness, and that it was best to move onto a different conversation entirely or better yet silence.

"Yes Moomin, wouldn't you like to go to Slutshole? " Little My carried on  
"Must be a lovely place to take someone special for a day out or a night in a tent" 

Snufkin had suspected Little My was up to no good pestering poor Moomintroll so relentlessly, so perhaps a bit of pestering himself wouldn't go amiss. He was also _very_ keen not to hear anymore about Sniff's horrible place names. 

"Oh Little My I didn't know you had a special little friend! - or a big friend of course" Snufkin said watching her round little face crease up with indignance as he spoke. 

"What? NO! Moom-" She began to protest before making eye contact with Moomin who looked ready to throttle her if she carried on. 

"Yes Little My?" Snufkin encouraged her to continue. 

Letting out a frustrated noise she was off like an angry little balloon, hopping mad and red as a beet.   
She kept her word to Moomin however, choosing to go stamping off in a huff muttering something that sounded vaguely like 'Moomin's little friend' , or was it Morons little mend? Moorings lower end? 

*As you may know Little My is very little and did look terribly funny jumping around like an angry flea as she scaled the foredune and escaped off into the marram grass. 

"Good for her" Snufkin said, returning his attention to his pipe and kicking up the wet sand with his boot. 

"No one would put up with her unless they were paid" Moomin muttered.

That Little My better watch her back with both those two eyes of hers because Moomin was going to get her later. He wasn't sure how but he was sure he would. 

"You shouldn't be nasty about people with feelings like that Moomintroll. You should be very honoured if anyone chooses to share such private things like that with you" 

  
The only thing almost as humiliating as a potential rejection by Snufkin was getting a telling off by him. Still, Moomin knew he was smiling under that manky old hat. 

"Have-" Moomin stopped himself.   
He looked around for Sniff who was still there but seemed preoccupied with digging around in the sand. The fact that he was there however might provide a nice buffer incase things went south.   
Moomin would just need to pick his words very carefully and now that the red little menace was out of the way there was nothing stopping him. The window of opportunity was slowly being closed so he better get it out now. 

"Have you ever had a special friend like that Snufkin?" Moomin surprised himself by how easy that was - it was almost bareable.

"No" 

It was the fastest no Moomin had ever heard. He'd barely finished his sentence and Snufkin had already beat him to the finish line and with a punch in the gut for good measure. 

"Oh - Are.. Are you sure?" Moomin had never felt so disappointed. And it came so fast too that he hadn't seen it coming until it crushed him from behind. 

"Yes"

Moomin's little heart dropped with the same cold realisation one gets when you've realised you dropped your wallet on the train and you've just walked through your front door.   
Well that was it then, what more was there to say. That was a very confident and unmistakable 'no', there was no two ways about it.

Moomin suddenly didn't feel much like walking anymore, stopping abruptly to cover his face with his paws - If he didn't move from here and just stayed like this maybe he could pretend he hadn't heard any of that and it never happened. 

"Moomintroll?" Snufkin stopped to turn back round. 

Sniff had stopped digging and had began to walk back over before Snufkin turned to him and shook his head.  
Fine, Sniff would just take his treasures elsewhere all for himself, dragging the detritus behind him down to the water to wash it. 

"Moomintroll?" Snufkin repeated, wandering over and tilting his head slightly to get a better look at him. 

"Moomintroll" 

Moomin could feel something touching his snout gently which felt suspiciously like Snufkin's little mitts. 

"I don't feel much like talking Snufkin" Moomin said. 

Being the kind of creature not to press Snufkin only responded  
"OK Moomintroll" 

-

The sun had gone in now as had Little My and Sniff back to their comfy warm beds. 

Moomin and Snufkin sat in the marram grass watching the moonrise as they often did, however this time Moomin was very quiet, the bad kind of quiet nobody really wants to be the first to acknowledge.   
Snufkin wasn't stupid, he could read a room and poor Moomintroll looked terribly sad. 

Snufkin had been playing his mouth organ for quite some time while Moomin sat on the foredune edge like a dropped meringue, aggressively pulling the grass out of the sand and throwing it into the wind, scattering little sharp grains into the air.   
Snufkin had peered at him from the corner of his eye once or twice to see if the music was working but Moomin had only continued to deflate until he'd surely be nothing but a wrinkled pelt. 

Snufkin moved up to Moomin as close as would allow, so that they touched shoulders all the way down to their knees. 

As much as Moomin didn't want to enjoy it he allowed himself to slowly sink into the warmth of Snufkin's big coat. It was terribly unfortunate that Snufkin was so lovely and comforting. 

"Here" Snufkin said holding the mouth organ out and placing it firmly in Moomin's paw "You have a go" 

The metal was warm from Snufkin's paws and the rosewood worn from excessive handling. 

"I don't know how to play" Moomin said. 

"Just blow through those holes see?" Snufkin said pointing at the comb of it. 

"And besides how can I smoke if my paws are busy playing? You'll have to play for me" 

Snufkin was lighting his pipe before Moomin had a chance to say anything else, shrugging his shoulders with the pipe in one paw and a dead match in the other. 

Moomin gingerly brought the instrument up to his mouth. He imagined how many times it had touched Snufkin's and how it had probably never touched anyones but theirs - it was their experience to share like a special little secret, and entirely unique from anyone elses.  
Whether or not Snufkin liked him, Moomin would surely treasure this moment forever although it was bittersweet to say the least. 

Moomin tentatively blew through it creating a not entiey unpleasant sound but certainly not anything reminiscent of a tune.   
Undeterred he pressed on, attempting to play something entertaining and for a beginner he wasn't completely terrible.  
Maybe if he played really reslly well Snufkin might change his mind, although that was doubtful.   
  
"Well done Moomintroll, just lovely! What are you going to call it?" Snufkin said with much enthusiasm after Moomin had run out of breath to continue. 

"I don't know" 

"Well I look forward to you playing me 'I don't know' again" 

Snufkin reached over to take the mouth organ from Moomin before lifting it to his own mouth, although he didn't try to play anything, he just rested it there. 

"Maybe some of your talent will rub off on me" Snufkin said smiling, before returning the mouth organ to his pocket.

He reached his arm around Moomin to very gently stroke the fur of his back, much like how his Mama would when Moomin was sad. Perhaps he had seen Mama do it before and thought it would be comforting. 

While comforting it certainly was, among other pleasurable feelings, Moomin couldn't help but feel it was deeply unfair. Snufkin was clever, he should know what was going on. Why did he have to tell him and embaress himself. It felt not only cruel but completely humiliating as well. 

And yet, he did nothing to stop it. 


	5. What's In Snufkin's pocket?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moomin does his best to avoid Snufkin, which turns out to be not very well at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations to those who have made it this far. I'm very proud of you all.

Moomin had decided that rather than have any sort of conversation with Snufkin like adults do, he would instead just avoid him as much as possible. 

This of course required a lot of sneaking around and monitoring of Snufkin's whereabouts which in an ironic turn of events meant Moomin spent a lot more time agonising over him than he would have otherwise. 

This plan however wasn't fool proof which had been evident from the beginning. 

The first time Moomin saw Snufkin was under the footbridge. 

He had gone down there to collect stones for skipping, as everyone knows the best ones are usually hiding in the river bed (or in Snufkin pockets, but he certainly wouldn't be rummaging in those anytime soon so river stones would have to do). 

He had just seen a very nice shiny one which had got itself stuck in the run off underneath the bridge, requiring him to wade into the water to retrieve it. 

Unfortunately for poor Moomin, the more he felt around for it the more murky the water became, so he really hadn't a clue where he was looking. 

What was more unfortunate was that as he was feeling around in the silt he could hear footsteps approach from above him which stopped abruptly before two brown boots were swung over the edge. 

Moomin stayed very still, with both sets of paws in the water like a furry white island, the water tickling his snout. 

Snufkin had already cast out before Moomin had a chance to slink off meaning the both of them would probably be sat there all afternoon. 

Moomin couldn't possibly stand like this on all fours until sunset. The water was cold and he could feel little water beetles crawling around his middle which wasnt very pleasant. 

Where he was positioned he could see Snufkin's boots swinging back and forth joined occasionally by happy little noises coming from above them. 

As uncomfortable as he was, it was quite nice to hear Snufkin enjoying himself more than Moomin was. It really was very unfair so many nice things could be condensed into one person. 

~

Snufkin had been sat on the bridge for some time however his bucket remained empty, which was rather strange considering he could see little squiggly things swimming around further down the river. 

Looking down towards his boots, Snufkin could see something big and white underneath the bridge. 

Examining a little closer he could see it was also covered in lots of wet fluff and was attached to a pair of little paws submerged underneath the water. 

He knew those paws, and he definately knew that tail. 

"Hullo Moomintroll!" he said, bending down and peering back under the bridge. 

"Funny place to be under there, I can see why I haven't caught anything yet" 

Moomin didn't say anything, probably because he didn't know what to say. Hello was usually an appropriate response, or maybe he should apologise for spying on him even if it was accidental. 

Rather than any of these sensible suggestions, Moomin instead clambered rather ungracefully out of the water as fast as he could and was off across the grass towards Moomin house before Snufkin could say anything else. 

"Funny creature" Snufkin smiled fondly to himself as he cast out again. 

If he didn't know any better he would have thought Moomin was trying to avoid him. 

That however would be something to be dealt with later, for now his thoughts were for fishing only. 

-

The second time Moomin saw Snufkin was in the woods beyond Moominhouse. 

Moomin had been sent out by his Mama to collect mushrooms for cooking later. 

He didn't much care for them himself but it was something to do and it was always important to help your mama when she asked. 

He was rooting around the bottom of a large spruce tree when he heard two very familiar voices floating through the canopy from somewhere behind him. 

"Well, I'm not really sure why, maybe they just like living there" That sounded very much like Snufkin's voice. 

"But you're meant to know everything" replied a more nasally, Sniff like voice than the one preceding it. 

"Don't be so stupid, nobody knows everything. Otherwise your head would be too full of thoughts to fit through the door" That was most certainly Snufkin. 

Panicking as they grew closer, Moomin made off through the trees in the opposite direction to the approaching sounds until he felt he was far enough away to avoid being seen whilst still being able to get a good look at them. 

From what Moomin could see behind a very large tree, the two of them had appeared in the clearing Moomin had escaped from and were now looking around. Well Sniff was anyway, Snufkin was smoking and minding his own business. 

"I'm sure I just saw Moomin!" Sniff exclaimed. 

From behind the tree Moomin could see Sniff peering over towards where he was hiding, although not with any look of recognition thankfully.

"Moomin!! Moomin!" 

Having nearly choked on his pipe after having the soul scared out of him from Sniff's incessant screaming, Snufkin replied

"Must you be so loud? If dear Moomintroll was here he would have certainly heard you, although not anymore since you've probably ruptured his poor little ears with all that nonsense" 

"And anyway" He continued "If Moomintroll doesn't want to be found we shouldn't be looking for him" 

Although Sniff was being terribly annoying, he wasn't wrong. 

Snufkin was sure he'd seen Moomin too, or at least something that looked a lot like him. 

He hadn't seen Moomin for a while now and he was starting to miss the company as Sniff didn't know how to provide companionship without making an awful lot of noise or being a nuisance.

Snufkin allowed Sniff to walk some way in front of him before turning around to peer off into the dense expanse of trees. 

"Moomintroll" He whispered, leaning his head back to listen hopefully for a response, but instead was greeted with silence. 

Snufkin surmised that if Moomin wanted to be seen he would come out when it suited him. It was best to leave people to their business if they didn't want to be bothered. 

Turning back around, Snufkin continued on to catch up with Sniff who by now had started singing, forcing Snufkin to pull his hat down over his ears in order to continue the journey without completely losing his rag. 

As their voices became quieter and quieter Moomin breathed a very big sigh of relief as he slid his back down the tree he was leaning against and onto the grass. 

He wasn't surprised Snufkin hadn't tried to look for him, Snufkin didn't like being bothered and he was only trying to extend the curtesy to Moomin as well. 

Maybe Moomin wouldn't have minded too much if Snufkin did come and bother him. He could have joined him picking horrible mushrooms while listening to Snufkin's interesting stories. Snufkin would have been very welcome to hold his paw again if he wanted to. Maybe even a cuddle. 

All this thinking was starting to make Moomin sad, and so with basket in hand he picked up off back in the direction of Moomin House. 

-

The third time Moomin saw Snufkin was out digging holes for his Mama's new rose bushes since the old ones had decided growing was far too much of an hassle.

It seemed a little late to be planting them now as the weather was turning, but it was probably good to get rid of the dead ones anyway. 

His Pappa would frequently chop wood when he was bothered by troublesome thoughts, so perhaps digging up plants would help his own. 

As Moomin was digging he happened to look up to wipe his brow only to see something little in a big green coat meandering up towards him. 

Oh why couldn't Snufkin just go away, didn't he realise it was much easier to avoid him when he didn't have to look at him, talk to him or be anywhere near him. 

Moomin didn't really want him to go away of course, far from it infact, but he couldn't bare to have any important conversations yet, he'd sooner be swallowed up, or stamped on, or thrown into a fire. 

Being caught covered in dirt and with nowhere to escape off to this time, he was forced to crouch down into the flower bed, fitting as much of himself as he could into the freshly dug hole. 

"Hullo Moomintroll" Snufkin said wandering over and peering over Moomin's shoulder. 

"You can't hide from me forever you know" 

".... Yes I can" Moomin's muffled voice came from up from between the roses. 

"Silly Moomintroll, you're too big and white for hiding - What are you doing down there? It must be terribly interesting" Snufkin said, leaning his body against Moomin and resting his elbow on his back. 

"Nothing" 

Snufkin had nowhere else to be and now he'd finally caught Moomin he certainly wasn't going to let him get away.

Sitting down in the pile of soil between the flower beds he lit his pipe and sat back watching Moomins great big behind with much amusement. 

~

Snufkin had almost burnt through all his smoking tobacco by the time Little My appeared, only to see him sat watching Moomin bent over with his head down a dirt hole. Had they no shame whatsoever? 

"Ergh what are you two doing?? In fact I don't want to know" 

From his hole, Moomin was perfectly able to hear both of them. 

They were all coming out of the woodwork to harass him now, and before long he'd have to start charging for the privilege. 

Clearly that nosy little parker did want to know what was going on otherwise she would have left by now. 

Unphased Snufkin replied "You'd have to ask Moomintroll Little My, although he's a little preoccupied at the moment it seems"

He pointed his pipe stem towards the bottom half of Moomin that was visible. 

"You better hope it doesn't rain Moomin, unless you fancy drowning" said Little My. 

"I wouldn't care if I did" Moomin responded. He figured if he did drown then at least he wouldn't have to deal with any more pestering or uncomfortable conversations. It was a shame he was such a good swimmer. 

"Oh Moomintroll, you can't stay down there forever" Snufkin said. 

"You'll grow into the soil and we'll have to pull you out roots and all" 

"Yeah Moomin, we might have to sprinkle you with poison" said Little My joining in gleefully. 

Unlike the bridge and the woods, Moomin was surrounded with nowhere else to go. He would have to admit defeat at some point, and with Snufkin and Little My standing over him like that there was no point in trying to go out with a fight. 

And besides, Moomintrolls didn't have roots. 

-

Snufkin had decided to take Moomin out into the wildflowers again so that they wouldn't be bothered by anyone unless they wanted to be. 

Since finally being caught by Snufkin, Moomin had given up playing coy. What exactly was the point anyway? Snufkin would be leaving very soon and he wouldn't see him again until next year so any embaressment that he felt about the whole thing now would have probably dissipated by then, or preferably forgotten. 

He had decided before Snufkin had come back for the spring that he was going to say something, and he still hadn't and by now it was almost November. 

"Look what your Pappa gave me" Snufkin said rolling over into the grass and proudly holding up a rather dusty looking and seemily half drunk bottle of cowslip wine. "Isn't he nice?" 

"How long has that been opened for?" 

"Long enough for me to enjoy it Moomintroll" he said, straining with great effort to uncork the thing before having a very confident go at it. He then twisted the bottle down into the ground so it could stand unaided before turning to Moomin and gesturing vaguely towards it. 

Shaking his head, Moomin said "It makes me go funny"

"I can only imagine" Snufkin laughed, lying back in the grass and pulling his hat down to cover most of his face. 

Moomin wondered how he breathed under there when he lay down like that. He'd seen Snufkin sleeping in a similar manner many times before, although Moomin would have thought he'd asphyxiate himself at some point, particularly with all that smoking he did. 

"Snufkin I'm going to really miss you when you leave" 

Moomin said, picking at the maybells which were peeking out through the long grass. He felt that was a good start. 

Snufkin didn't respond, but Moomin could see him smiling from the corners of his hat which was encouraging enough for Moomin to continue. 

"I like you an awful lot Snufkin"

"Yes I know" Snufkin responded from inside the hat, reaching his arm out and resting his paw against the soft fluff of Moomins arm ever so gently. 

Moomin had had an inkling that Snufkin knew exactly what he meant by that, but since Snufkin wasn't going to bring it up it was up to Moomin to. Worst comes to worst he could just hibernate early, who was going to stop him. 

"Like a special friend" Moomin persisted. 

After an agonisingly long pause Snufkin stopped stroking his fur to lift his hat ever so slightly so he could see just a slice of moomins face that was staring straight at him somewhat hopefully. Moomin could be very bold when he wanted to. 

"Oh Moomintroll, it's a very big responsibility to have a special friend. They take up lots of time and you have to do lots of things for them" 

"Look at your Mama and Pappa over there" He continued, pointing with his unoccupied paw in the direction of Mama and Pappa who were out sitting together on the veranda. "I don't know if that's something I could give you" 

"Yes but they're old - it's different" Moomin interjected. 

"Don't let your dear Mama hear you saying things like that" Snufkin said. 

Poor Mama, Moomin would apologise in his thoughts later. She would be sure to get them if he thought hard enough. 

Moomin however was still looking at Snufkin, awaiting acknowledgement of his previous and indeed rather bold statement.

"The world is an awfully big place Moomintroll. You will never run out of new people to meet who would make a really good special friend for you" Snufkin said finally before resuming stroking Moomins arm fluff. 

Just not you then, thought Moomin. Usually one would go into these conversations with some sort of an idea that the recipient would feel the same way. Clearly Moomin was not very good at reading people, even with Snufkin stroking his arm like that. 

Moomin had been doing so well up until this point, but now he was starting to feel really bad. Infact he was feeling really, really bad. 

"Well I've asked you now so I don't want to talk about it anymore" Moomin said, turning his face away incase any sneaky tears tried to make an appearance. 

It would probably have been much easier if Moomin was resentful or angry, but Snufkin was so lovely and thoughtful he couldn't feel anything else but sad.

"I'm sorry Moomintroll" Snufkin said, reflexively increasing the pressure on Moomins arm.

Maybe Moomin should just stick with Snorkmaiden for now, although it was doubtful she would have him considering how little he'd seen her, choosing instead to chase Snufkin around Moominvalley all summer. 

Poor thing didn't deserve that anyway, she deserved someone who loved her with all of themselves rather than just a tiny bit. 

"You know Moomintroll, you never know how things will be in a years time. That's what is so exciting about the future is that it is always a surprise" 

If that was meant to make him feel better it didn't, although Moomin appreciated the effort.

Staring off in the direction of Moomin house, all Moomin wanted to do now was sleep, he couldn't be bothered with any of this faffing around anymore.

"We could go skip those stones you were collecting before if you want" Snufkin interrupted as Moomin was drifting off. 

"I didn't get any" 

"Well I'm sure I've got some somewhere" Snufkin said pulling his coat pocket out and pointing to the inside of it. 

"Put your paw in and find out"


	6. Simple Pleasures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Snufkin to leave Moominvalley for the winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter - It's been bants writing this so maybe I'll carry on with it but actually have a plot or something as a separate story, I dunno man.  
> Thank you everyone who enjoyed or did not enjoy this story.
> 
> My boy Peter was crowned GBBO king, a true hero.

As November came around, snow was expected in Moominvalley as it usually was however this year it got rain and lots of it - Big fat drops of it the size of dinner mints which rolled down into the valley. 

It was time for Snufkin to head South again for the winter.

Luckily for Snufkin the worst of the rain had kindly waited until he'd packed all his belongings before making an appearance and turning the now empty campsite into a small quagmire.

As long as his tobacco was safe and dry under his coat he didn't care too much for the rest of his things getting wet. Everything dries out eventually.

He had expected Moomin to have come down to see him off at some point, however Moomin was nowhere to be seen - Again! 

Snufkin had a little feeling that perhaps Moomin might be embarrassed, although it seemed awfully peculiar that such a little problem would prevent him from saying goodbye to a very good friend. Maybe he was ill?

While Moomin might have felt too shy or too sick to say goodbye, Snufkin certainly wasn't. He very much wanted a nice goodbye so he would just have to take the initiative and go get it himself.

Flicking the last of his pipe ash into the mud and returning the pipe to his pocket, Snufkin headed up to Moominhouse fully loaded so that he may make a swift exit if needs be.

It was Mama who greeted him upon knocking, opening the door big and wide to see Snufkin looking very small and wet. His coat had seemingly stretched 2 sizes larger as it sat flat against him while his felted hat had become heavier and heavier the wetter it had got before its sheer mass would surely flatten him into the ground. 

"Oh Snufkin look at you! Come in before you get washed away" Mama said ushering him inside, quickly closing the door and nipping off before Snufkin had a chance to say anything.

Snufkin dropped his bag and kicked it towards the front door before Mama returned some moments later with a mug of very hot coffee that she placed into his very accepting paws.

"Thank you" He said, tentatively taking a sip before releasing any more than that would have probably incurred third degree burns.  
"I'm after Moomintroll if you happen to know where he is?"

"He said he was going to hibernate a few days early this year Snufkin" Mama said, continuing to potter around the front room. "Poor dear looked as though he needed the sleep" 

"What's he doing that for?" Snufkin replied, putting the mug down and pushing it slowly across the table. He'd see to it later when it wasn't trying to erode through anything. 

"I'm not sure my dear, although I can't say whether he's sleeping yet or not so you're more than welcome to check. I know you'll be leaving very soon and he would be terribly sad to have missed you" 

Mama had noticed that Moomin hadn't been quite himself recently, although he did try his very best not to worry her by making it overly apparent. She had chosen not to pester her dear son with questions, however she had her suspicions Snufkin had something to do with it as he usually did whether it was intentional or not. These sorts of things were inevitable once you got to a certain point with friends.

Snufkin, who was unbothered by such troublesome thoughts, proceeded up the staircase and along the hallway towards Moomin's bedroom door on which he knocked four times - three small ones in quick succession before finishing it off with one big one.

His knocking went unanswered which he took as an invitation to enter. 

In the corner of the room Snufkin could indeed see one great big lump under a lot of duvet covers. Snufkin wasn't easily deceived and it was clear as day (at least to him) that dear Moomintroll was not sleeping at all, but pretending to sleep which Snufkin was well versed in in his own right.

Making absolutely no effort to be quiet, Snufkin wandered over to the bed before climbing over the lump and under the mass of blankets. It wasn't often that he found himself in a proper bed but it must be said Moomin's was lovely and warm underneath all the linen.

Moomin, who of course was very much awake could feel the mattress move down and about as Snufkin rustled around doing god knows what. He shut his eyes tighter in an attempt to ignore it, however this only helped to accentuate how irritating all that moving was and it was starting to make him a little seasick. Poor Moomin was desperately tired, so much so he felt unable to fully appreciate that Snufkin had voluntarily climbed into his bed with him. If this were any other time Moomin would have been willing however the body was weak and Moomin wasn't in the mood to be entertained. 

"You know Moomintroll, it's raining outside" 

Moomin could feel the weight of Snufkin's voice right next to his ear. He must be very close although it was hard to tell what with all the blankets everywhere. 

"So what" Moomin said sleepily, wrapping himself up tighter resembling something like an overstuffed cigar paper. 

"Well that would mean that everyone must have gone back to their houses and most likely left lots of things unattended" 

While it sounded like Snufkin was after lost property or up to some other general thievery, he was most likely referring to a fence that had been erected some weeks ago down near the river. Moomin figured it was probably put there to protect the flowers although it wasn't as though they belonged to anyone to require protection. Clearly incensed by this, Snufkin must have felt for some reason the best thing to do would be to come and rile Moomin up by getting into his bed and being a nuisance.

Moomin chose not to respond, instead only sinking himself further into the duvet. Clever Moomin had realised that resisting Snufkin required minimal effort and had the added bonus of keeping him in the bed longer. Only a complete simpleton would waste such an opportunity. 

"It would be a shame if someone were to come along with their big paws and stamp all over it (the fence that is)" Snufkin said. Moomin could feel the weight of Snufkin's body slowly pushing him further off the side of the bed. 

"That's something only you'd enjoy doing Snufkin" Moomin said, his voice muffled under the blankets. 

"Perhaps, but more paws makes swift work" Snufkin continued "If you don't want to come maybe I might just get out of this bed and go do it myself right now"

Snufkin then proceeded to rip the duvet off entirely, letting all the horrible cold air in and causing Moomin to retract his little white legs up towards his body. In removing the covers, Snufkin had also revealed much to Moomin's disgust that he still had his manky old boots on and had trodden a trail of dirty wet leaves through the bedroom and into the nest of blankets. 

"Thanks a lot Snufkin" Moomin really should have known better than to think he could just enjoy Snufkin in his bed without the experience having to coexist with something equally unpleasant. 

"Oh dear awfully sorry about that Moomintroll - I guess it would be best if you just came with me. Nobody likes to sleep in a wet bed" 

Sorry my tail, thought Moomin. Snufkin would sleep on a bed of nails if it suited him right. He was jolly lucky Moomin was so fond of him otherwise he'd have been thrown out the bedroom window at the first sign of trouble.

Without the nice puffy blankets Moomin figured there was no point resisting any further, swinging his legs over the bed and following a happy looking Snufkin out the door.

As the pair of them were leaving Moomin's bedroom they were both met with two beady little eyes from down the hallway. 

"Oh hello Little My" Snufkin peered down towards her. "You do look funny doing that, you be careful you don't scare anyone" 

Moomin stared down the hallway towards her - He knew exactly what was coming. What Little My didn't know was that Moomin had already spilled the beans by now, meaning she no longer had any power whatsoever and Moomin was rolling in revengeful delight.

"What were you two doing in there making all that noise?" She said. And there it was, how predictable of her. Moomin continued to stare her down, daring her to say something clever.

"Moomintroll had mistakenly fallen into bed somehow, I had to help him out" Snufkin responded.

It was as though Snufkin wasn't even trying to come up with good excuses anymore or perhaps (and far more likely) he just enjoyed winding her up, probably with the same knowledge that Little My no longer had any ammo left in her round.

"Well best be off then, goodbye Little My" 

Snufkin said as he and Moomin made their way down the stairs with absolutely no intention of extending an invitation to her. 

"Where are you going?" She demanded, however they had already made their way out the door by that point. 

The noise from upstairs had attracted Mama who stared up at Little My from the foot of the stairs only to say

"You leave them alone today Little My" And she would be making sure of that.

-

Snufkin and Moomin ran off down the pathway and across the grass until they arrived at the fence near the river. It was still standing although it wasn't much to look at and appeared to be not much more than a few beams sloppily nailed together with seemingly no beginning or end to it. It seemed a little sad to stamp on it given that it hadn't had a fair chance to function as fence yet.

Moomin looked over to Snufkin who appeared to be thinking the same thing. 

"Perhaps we might leave the stamping for some other time - It looks like whoever it is hasn't finished building it yet" Snufkin said. 

Moomin wasn't sure whether it was worse to just destroy it now or wait until sufficient manpower had been pumped into it before tearing it down, but he didn't fancy asking. 

By now the rain had started to pick up again so the pair of them decided to abandon the fence to sit a while under a very large rhododendron bush. As they crawled through the wall of foliage it opened up much like a tent into a surprisingly vast green dome with the trunk growing from the middle.

The pattering of rain like little mouse feet released a lovely earthy smell not entirely dissimilar from that of the smell of a Snufkin who by now had sat back against the branches, his shoulder rubbing with that of Moomins. 

"Not much is going to get through that" Snufkin said, pointing towards the curtains of water sliding down the outside of the rhododendron bush with one paw and pressing tobacco into the bowl of his pipe with the other.

"Nice to look at though" 

Moomin leaned back next to Snufkin. He could hear him scratching about with a box of matches which had obviously gotten wet as there were a lot of frustrated noises coming from beside him, followed some time later by a sigh of relief and the smell of burning tobacco.

The thing about lighting a pipe underneath a wet canopy is that the smoke doesn't really have anywhere to run off to, so it sticks around waiting for something to happen. 

Moomin put a paw over his snout, he didn't mind the tobacco smell but at this rate Snufkin would eventually hot-box them both so that he couldn't see a paw in front of his face, guided only by the glowering embers of Snufkin's pipe. 

Taking a peek at Moomin from the corner of his eye, Snufkin laughed  
"Simple pleasures Moomintroll, your Pappa will tell you as much"

He did however put his paw over the end of the pipe until the embers died after having a fair puff at it. Placing the pipe in his pocket, Snufkin occupied his paw instead by holding Moomins, causing him to reflexively start sweating.

"Why did you bring me out here Snufkin?" Moomin asked, timidly moving his paw to fit closer with Snufkins.

"I wanted to see you before I left and I couldn't very well do that if you were sleeping" Snufkin responded somewhat curtly, releasing his grip on Moomin's paw although he didn't move it away.

"Sorry Snufkin I didn't mean to be rude" 

Breathing out slowly Snufkin replied "It's alright Moomintroll" 

The pair of them sat in silence listening to the rain hitting the waxy umbrella of leaves above them. Looking over, Moomin noticed Snufkin had shut his eyes and didn't seem to be very up for anymore talking, although thankfully he had closed his paw around Moomin's once again. Still feeling very weary himself, Moomin decided he would close his eyes also and listen to the sounds and enjoy the smells just for a moment.

It was all very peaceful.

"Moomintroll"  
Moomin could feel something gently rocking him like a sailboat caught in a swell. The rhythmic swaying was quite nice so he leant into it allowing himself to be carried off back to sleep again.

"Moomintroll"  
The gentle rocking had now turned into aggressive shaking which continued with vigour until Moomin was very much awake. The air was suspiciously more thick and gray than he remembered - Snufkin must have had another sneaky go on that pipe of his while he was sleeping.

Looking over, Moomin could see that he had gathered himself up with his bag sat in front of him. 

"It's time for you to leave now isn't it" Moomin said weakly.

He knew it was coming but it was still very sad all the same. He wasn't ready for Snufkin to leave yet. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready for him to leave.

"Yes it would seem so" said Snufkin. "I'd better get going"

-

Snufkin walked with Moomin down towards the footbridge, where they both stopped to look up towards Moominhouse. Moomin was heavy with the weight of his ever growing sadness. It was going to be awfully lonely this winter without Snufkin, even if all Moomin was doing was sleeping.

"You'll be back next spring won't you?" he asked.

Snufkin took his hat off to tap the excess water out of it. 

"Of course, I always do" 

Snufkin gazed off in the direction he would soon be travelling and Moomin gazed at him. It had been an emotionally trying summer for Moomin but he would always be grateful for the time he was able to spend with Snufkin. He was going to miss the lazy days out in the long grass and the midnight walks and their secret signals. 

"Oh Moomintroll, I almost forgot" Snufkin said turning back to Moomin and holding his hat up  
"I have something for you" 

Moomin waited expectantly, as Snufkin leaned inwards to gently place a paw on one side of his face and a kiss on the other. It was only a little one, and very much unlike any kiss anyone else had ever given him, but it was a real one all the same. It was lovely and gentle which was to be expected from Snufkin, from the way he held his paw or stroked his back or gave him a cuddle. Moomin wasn't sure what to do other than stand there and hope it never ended, although unfortunately for him it did a moment later. 

-

From the Moominhouse, Little My could see down to the bridge where Snufkin and Moomin were standing although she couldn't make out much of what was going on underneath Snufkin's stupid hat. 

Just as Little My jumped down from the window sill towards the door, she was lifted off the ground by the back of her little red dress by clever old Mama.

"Let me down Mama I only wanted to say goodbye!" Little My said thrashing around like a fresh catch. 

"No Little My, that goodbye is only for Moomin" Mama said, placing her into the teapot which was sat on the front room table. 

She would have to keep an eye on that one and keep her eyes off whatever was going on down there at the footbridge.

-

"Oh Snufk-" Moomin began to blurt out before Snufkin swiftly interrupted him

"Like I said Moomintroll, you never know what will happen in the future" He said before turning on his heel and heading off in the opposite direction before Moomin could finish whatever he was going to say.

"See you next spring Snufkin! " Moomin shouted, waving enthusiastically. He was so elated he could barely stand still, he was dancing on air and was now far too excited to hibernate now.

Snufkin only waved his paw in response and continued walking off through the spruce trees until he had vanished from sight completely.

Until next spring Snufkin.


End file.
